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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

HERMENEUTICS 101: PROPHECY

George Offerman

Since there seems to be more urgency in getting this material out quicker, I am planning on skipping some of the material I initially planned on including. I may even work on the rest of the Revelation series, as I noticed I left off at the 6th trumpet over a year ago. I hope this series has been instructional for people reading it, and it has been a joy to write. We are in great need now of prayer and action from the faithful and it needs to begin now.

The topic of prophecy, in some matters is the most straight forward of all. To simply put it, prophecy is the future revealed to a particular people in a particular place with a particular message from God explaining CLEARLY what is going to happen and why it is going to happen. In the case of Revelation, prophecy includes all of mankind and will affect the whole world, and will mark the end of time. However, there are many facets of prophecy that concerns smaller ‘units’ such as countries, regions, communities, families and the individual.

The most straight forward prophecy is that contained in the Bible. Biblical prophecy is an exact accounting of future events written in advance for the specific reason of notifying humanity of God’s will and actions and allowing those who believe in the word to know what is happening and why it is happening. As we will be covering soon, the prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled exactly as written and could have been fulfilled by only one man that has ever come into existence. The reason this is so is because many of the prophecies revolved around the conception and birth of the Christ, and as such, could not be counterfeited. When one studies the prophecies concerning the Christ, it will become self evident that NO ONE OTHER THAN JESUS would have qualified in fulfilling all of the messianic prophecies.

There is not much written concerning the future times other than Revelation, and it is the cause of much speculation concerning about modern times, as well as times since the Resurrection of Christ. However, history ahs demonstrated that many of the saints and other holy men and women of God have been raised up and given warnings to wayward peoples and nations, and have accurately predicted outcomes and judgments. What is covered in the Bible pertaining to prophecy is clear in that God does not judge arbitrarily and is longsuffering, but does send warnings to people and nations. God only acts suddenly whenever we ignore the warnings and continued existence only results in needless suffering.

Warnings come from those who are in the will of God and can take two forms: 1) direct revelation and 2) Biblical principles and conviction. A person who is a prophet must have impeccable character, daily communication with God and have a clear understanding of the message to be conveyed. The message also must be consistent with the Bible and Character of God and accurately point to a condition that needs to be changed. The message or prophecy can also come from the most unexpected sources and it is entirely plausible for God to warn all people in all situations about their future path if repentance is not made.

There are those who hold that judgments can occur without warning. If this claim is true, then there must be Biblical evidence to demonstrate this claim. The actual implementation of judgment can come with out warnings, but the general conditions of sin are accompanied by warnings. When warnings go unheeded, judgment then is sudden and unmerciful, and to the sinner, it looks as if it came without warning. Just because one does not listen or want to know what their sin is does not mean someone or some event did not occur to communicate God’s displeasure with them.

Too many people have testified that they have been warned by others or have had dreams concerning events in their lives, in which were prophetic, yet most don’t give them heed until events manifest themselves. We are warned constantly about matters, most likely by sources unexpected, and therefore, rejected. This occurs at every level: personal, communal, regional, national and world. Unfortunately, so many now are making claims of being prophets or seers, and are clouding the airwaves with so much drivel that the real message is being masked. Those who stay within the parameters of Biblical principles stand a much better chance of discerning the truth. But one must be clear: the increase in prophecy is demonstrating an increase in spiritual instability, and definitely points to challenging times ahead.

We need to be in constant prayer, and asking the Lord to reveal His will to us. In this manner, we know we will have the most accurate picture for ourselves and those closest to us. The prophetic winds tell us change is on its way. Whether or not it is the end will be revealed soon enough. When we take our last breath, we will be at our own end, and it is that moment that must take precedent over all of our other matters.

About Me

I was in Catholic Seminary for 4 years, and left in the mid 80's. I have been involved in health care since that time, having worked in psychiatric units, community mental health centers, and ran my own private practice for over 15 years. I have continued with my interst in Biblical studies, especially in the area of prophecy. I also took an interest in finances, initially to help out my married clinents who had financial difficulties.